Calving 2025

[lithuanian farmer]

Merry Christmas everyone! Following my tradition here's a new calving season thread.
Here's the 5th calf for the new season. Born just this evening.


That's quite a special heifer. The second Maine Anjou sired calf here and the first heifer. Also the first calf by her sire. 287days gestation, out of mature plain limx cow, calved unassisted. Sired, as mentioned, by Maine Anjou bull. He is, though, homozygous double muscled and has a very low calving ease index. Used him with caution and only gonna have one more his calf this season.
That's the sire:


The heifer is extremelly tall and has some size, so I doubt that she is lighter than 110lbs.

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

Eating the doubled muscle cattle ? Tough ?

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Eating the doubled muscle cattle ? Tough ?

We rarely process any of our animals, so can't say much. Also can't be sure on most of their myostatin status.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Safely moved into a pen today. Being muddy everythere it's the best option for the newborns. Also ravens is a threat for the first couple days.

 

[Spot & Bubby]

Safely moved into a pen today. Being muddy everythere it's the best option for the newborns. Also ravens is a threat for the first couple days.
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Yay! Congrats on the start of your season! Calving season is the real "most wonderful time of the year." I'm counting the days!

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Yay! Congrats on the start of your season! Calving season is the real "most wonderful time of the year." I'm counting the days!

It's probably the most nerve wrecking time of the year as well. It can be really rewarding and exciting to see new calves being born and growing, but also devastating when something goes wrong and you loose some. Fingers crossed for a good season this year!

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Here's the number 6 just fresh out of the oven.

Heifer calf, 290days, lim sired out of limx cow, unassisted, 4th calf for the cow.
Been moved into a bedded pen after the photo was taken. We again have snow... One more cow might calve tonight as well. That one is on 295th day. Pure lim is on 298th day and will carry for a couple more days...

 

[lithuanian farmer]

As thought, here's one more calf for today.

Parthenaise sired bull calf out of blondexlim cow. 295 days, unassisted.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Unfortunatelly found the last calf dead the following morning... Not sure why. He looked okay when I left him. There were two more cows with calves in the pen, so maybe one had kicked him. Who knows now.

However, have a very exciting newborn today.


Same sire as the last one's, however this one is a pure heifer. Born at 285 or 286 days (been AI'ed twice). Had to assist as she was trying to arrive upside down.
The sire:

He is considered a harder calved bull. The calf is hardly more than 75lbs though.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Things can't go right for long it seems. Yesterday hadn't noticed one cow calving and today found dead twin heifers, from sexed straw... Weather and ground conditions aren't suitable for calving out in the open now... Cow chose one of the worst spot to calve... Next to the hay feeder with mud and snow everywhere around.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Finally, the pure lim calved today. 301days gestation, heifer calf!

 

[redcowsrule33]

Things can't go right for long it seems. Yesterday hadn't noticed one cow calving and today found dead twin heifers, from sexed straw... Weather and ground conditions aren't suitable for calving out in the open now... Cow chose one of the worst spot to calve... Next to the hay feeder with mud and snow everywhere around.

Dang! You could have used that twin , too.
Can't wait to watch that full blooded heifer grow!

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Dang! You could have used that twin , too.
Can't wait to watch that full blooded heifer grow!

Yes, indeed. Husband's heifer lost her calf yesterday, so she could have adopted the twin as well.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

You have snow on the ground. Who is wearing SHORTS!!??

 

[lithuanian farmer]

You have snow on the ground. Who is wearing SHORTS!!??

Nooo, nobody is with shorts. It might look like that from the photo, but definitely not

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Had another calf born yesterday. 285 days, bull calf, sired by culard charolais, out of charxlim cow, which has one copy of Q204X myostatin. Calved unassisted.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Been fighting mud for the past month. Finally got some colder temperatures, so it's finally getting less muddy.
Had quite a window since the last calf, but finally have a newborn today!



Heifer calf, sired by the same lim as the pure heifer. 289days for this one, calved unassisted. Dam is limxcharxdairy, 10 years old. Only had one bull calf so far! Calved on the 2nd of March last year, so gained abit of time. Will weigh calf tomorrow, but she is a big girl. Tape shows 100lbs, but I think it should be quite higher.

Also have one more cow in for tonight as she could calve before morning. 291days for this one. She is bluex charx, incalf to easy calving blonde, will be 4th calf.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

An update on pure parthenaise heifer. She will be one month old soon. We did weighed her on the second day and scales showed 83lbs, which is real low for harder calved bull.
But overall she is doing great and can't await to see her grow.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Fresh out of the oven

Bull calf, unassisted.

 

[lithuanian farmer]

Weighed both newborns. Heifer-112lbs, bull-109lbs. Both from easy calving bulls. Both calves were born easily though.